Maitreya, filled with wonder and reverence, spoke to Parāśara: “I have learned from you that all this world is Vishnu, exists in Vishnu, and arises from Vishnu; nothing lies beyond him. Yet, I wish to hear how the great soul, in the form of Vyasa, divides the Vedas in every age. Who has been Vyasa in each era, O great sage? Please tell me of each, and also of the divisions of the Vedic branches.” Parāśara replied, “O Maitreya, the divisions of the Veda and its branches are innumerable; their full detail cannot be described. Listen, then, to a brief account. In every Dvāpara Yuga, Vishnu, assuming the form of Vyasa, divides the singular Veda into many parts for the welfare of the world. Observing the diminished strength, energy, and capacity of humankind, he divides the Vedas for the benefit of all beings. By whatever form he undertakes this division, that embodiment of Vishnu, the enemy of Madhu, is known as Vedavyasa. In each Manvantara, Vyasa appears, and I will tell you who they were and how the branches were divided. The Veda has been divided twenty-eight times by sages in the Dvāpara ages of the present Vaivasvata Manvantara. The twenty-eight past Vedavyasas, who divided the Veda into four in each Dvāpara, are as follows: In the first Dvāpara, Svayambhu divided the Veda; in the second, Prajapati was Vyasa. In the third, Vyasa was Ushanas; in the fourth, Brihaspati; Savita was Vyasa in the fifth, and in the sixth, Mrityu, the Lord, took the role. In the seventh cycle, Indra is remembered as Vyasa; in the eighth, Vasiṣṭha; in the ninth, Sārasvata; in the tenth, Tridhāmā. The eleventh was Triśikha; then Bharadvāja; the thirteenth, Āntarikṣa; the fourteenth, Varṇī. The fifteenth was Trayyaruṇa; the sixteenth, Dhanaṃjaya; the seventeenth, Kratuṃjaya; then Jaya. After Jaya, Vyāsa, son of Bharadvāja; then Gautama; after him, Haryātmā. Following Haryātmā, the sage Vājaśravā; then Somaśuṣkāyaṇa; then Tṛṇabiṃdu. From Ṛkṣa came Bhūdbhārgava; then Vālmīki; then my father Śakti; and after him, I myself, Parāśara. From me arose Jātukarṇa; after him, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana. Thus, these twenty-eight ancient compilers of the Veda are known. All of them, during the Dvāpara and other ages, divided the single Veda into four parts. In the future Dvāpara, Drauṇi will become Vyasa, after my son Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana. Now, O sage, understand that the one-syllabled Brahman is established as ‘Om’; because of its greatness and its power to expand, it is called Brahman. The eternal Pranava is established as ‘bhūḥ’, ‘bhuvaḥ’, and ‘svaḥ’; to that Brahman, essence of Ṛg, Yajus, Sāma, and Atharva, I offer reverence. That which is the cause of creation and dissolution of the world, supreme and most secret beyond the great, to that sublime Brahman I offer reverence. This unfathomable, boundless, imperishable abode bewilders the world; its own light and activity serve the purpose of human pursuits. It is the foundation for those who know Sāṃkhya, the path for the self-controlled; that imperceptible, immortal, eternal Brahman is the source of all activity. It is called the primordial substance and the source of the self, residing in the cave; undivided, pure, imperishable, and manifold. To that supreme Brahman, the true form of Vāsudeva, the Supreme Self, I offer constant reverence. This Brahman, the Lord, is threefold in distinction and also undivided; though perceived as divided by those with divided understanding, it remains undivided in all distinctions. He is composed of Ṛg, Sāma, and Yajus, the essence of all; he is the soul of Ṛg, Yajus, and Sāma, and the self of all embodied beings. Being the embodiment of the Veda, he divides himself and makes the Veda manifold through many branches; unattached and all-knowing, he is the very form of knowledge of all the branches. Now, O Maitreya, hear of the division of the Vedas. The original Veda is fourfold and consists of one hundred thousand verses; from that, the entire sacrifice arises, ten times greater, which is the essence of all chants. In the twenty-eighth cycle, my son Vyāsa, the great sage, divided the single fourfold Veda into four parts. Just as Vyāsa divided the Vedas, so too have all the other Vyāsas, and so have I. Therefore, O best of the twice-born, understand by this the divisions of the Vedic branches, established in all four ages. Know that the dark-complexioned Dvaipāyana Vyāsa is Nārāyaṇa, the Lord; for who else on earth could be the author of the Mahābhārata? By him, my great-souled son, the Vedas were divided in the Dvāpara age. Now listen to how this was done. Commanded by Brahmā, Vyāsa began to divide the Vedas. He took four disciples who had mastered the Vedas. The great sage appointed Paila for the Ṛgveda, Vaiśampāyana for the Yajurveda. Jaimini was chosen as the knower of the Sāmaveda, and Sumantu became the disciple of wise Vedavyāsa for the Atharvaveda.